When the fans voted for a Mara Jade Skywalker figure, I assumed (as at least some people if not most) that it would be a new figure for Mara.

A completely different outfit.

Her HTTE debut outfit has been done TWICE.

1998 in the EU wave.

2007, she was much improved in the Comic 2-packs with an all-new crashed pilot Luke.

The head sculpt of the 2013 Mara is much improved and pretty tempting. I'll give Hasbro that.

She also hasn't been available on a single card for 14 years. OK. She'll sell.

But Mara is approximately 27 years old in this era.

I think people wanted a NJO figure of her, in sort of "Lord of the Rings" style or Corellian Jedi (though I don't think she's Corellian or even knows as she was taken as a child to be raised to serve the Dark Side - like in the Holocron Heist of Clone Wars - but obviously Palpatine tries (with or without Cad Bane) again after Anakin and Ahsoka foil his attempts on Mustafar, Naboo, Rodia (stopped by Obi-Wan) and Glee Ansom (or did they ever recover that child of Kit Fisto's species?).

Anyway, what I was looking for was Mara Skywalker, about 42 years old, as a Jedi Master in the NJO pre Darth Caedus (Jacen Solo's turn to the Dark Side).

There are pictures of Mara on book covers, wearing a deep and light green combination of lady's Jedi robes, and she looks great in action.

When will this figure be done?

As I said, the blue jumpsuit is her most iconic, recognizeable form, and it's been 14 years since she was single-carded. It's been only 5 years since that figure was available, new and improved, in the Comic 2-pack format.

In 2010 we saw the release of Jacen and Jaina as BAD ended. This year we got Nom Anor.

Single carding the Yuuzhan Vong would be worthwhile for army builders (especially a new sculpt of a generic warrior).

Also making sense would be Anakin Solo, Kyp Durron, and even more appealing, the older (40's-50's) versions of Han, Luke, and Leia - though Luke has been offered, but technically not that old, and not single-carded. What about Droma, or Lando in new digs (and older with some gray hair - though he probably colored it when he got older - and Lando would work in a 2-pack with a YVH droid, or make that a BAD with NJO figures only - several released over several months, in different waves, to keep collector interest through the whole year (until you could complete the droid after months and different waves - while other droids would have to satisfy instant gratification).

But anyway, your comments on Mara Skywalker?

El Chuxter

08-30-2012, 03:33 PM

IIRC, the poll indicated it was the green outfit, Hasbro directly answered a question saying it was the green outfit, and we get this. The third figure of the same outfit. By my reckoning, if this is the third figure, it should be her in her Arica disguise; Jedi Master should've been the second one.

At $10, I'm not buying her again in the same getup. Which, unfortunately, Hasbro will interpret as "people don't want Mara Jade, and she won the poll, so people don't want any of the figures they ask for." :(

Mr. JabbaJohnL

08-30-2012, 05:41 PM

I blame Jeff on this one, as he was talking about personally making sure the figure was great, though the whole team should have realized that fans were asking for a different version. That said - and I'll have to listen again later to get an accurate timecode and transcription, since this is the third or fourth time I've mentioned this - Derryl said in the Curto Burns podcast that two different Mara figures were coming.

El Chuxter

08-30-2012, 07:02 PM

Oh. I see.

While two in a short time might be overkill (especially with the EU completely jumping the shark by killing her off like a bunch of stupid morons--sorry, I can't be polite about the thing that made me stop reading the SW books altogether as it was clearly only done for shock value and to set up an inferior "epic"), I'd definitely buy the other. Whatever the outfit. Heck, even if it's her wedding dress, I'd be actively hunting for it.

Has it been confirmed that the Emperor's Hand version is the "Fan's Choice" figure?

Mr. JabbaJohnL

08-30-2012, 08:33 PM

Well, I feel like a butt-butt - I think I must have misunderstood the interview. But this is why you crackas need to listen to these things too. :D

From curtoburns.com, at around 30:00:

Dan Curto: Speaking of the fans’ choice, Mara Jade is the overall winner and it was originally announced that she was the Jedi version but all the photos shown have been the Imperial version, and it was originally said that she was going to come out on a Vintage card. Is she still coming out on Vintage, or will she be part of Droid Factory, and what exact outfit will she have?

Derryl DePriest: Well, we’re trying to do both outfits for Mara, to satisfy both what we think fans voted on as well as what fans want to see, which is as close to an outfit that satisfies both those as possible. So I believe that’s the latest.
(Then they discuss how she's in Droid Factory, so she won't be on a Vintage card.)

James Burns starts talking over Derryl during the "close to an outfit that satisfies both" part, obscuring his answer a bit so that I (and maybe even they) misunderstood Derryl. So I guess there's only this one, then?

Okay, carry on. You were right to be annoyed after all. :frus: Now I wish I had followed up with Derryl, since clearly there is a lot getting lost in translation here.

JediTricks

08-30-2012, 10:23 PM

We'll have to follow up at the next con that Hasbro does, this was a question I tried to get to Steve and to John, but things were just too hectic at CVI at that point.

Tycho

08-30-2012, 11:59 PM

One figure can't satisfy both versions. The jedi Mara would be like a 2- tone green adi gallia or Jaina solo outfit.

Hasbro's answer was very obscure. That too is disappointing.

Umbra

08-31-2012, 12:37 AM

WHile I don't think this new figure looks bad, I agree that its not what I was expecting or wanting. Though I'm curious, if possible could you link to which book or source has the outfit you mean?

Also going along with the NJO want list, I extremely want a Green Robed Jedi Master Corran Horn

Tycho

08-31-2012, 02:15 AM

Yes to a Corran Horn Jedi Master (or at least Jedi Knight) figure.

I'd also like his CORSEC agent figure, too (though that's pre-Rogue Squadron and not NJO). But he's a great character though hardly my favorite (I'm all about the Solo kids).

This is a link to a search I did for a ton of Mara Jade pictures. (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Mara+Jade&qpvt=Mara+Jade&FORM=IGRE)

You'll note that most (like 85%) are of Mara in her iconic HTTE Imperial Agent black ops jumpsuit from when she's 27 years old.

There are some 22 year old Mara examples from when she was Arika, a dancer in Jabba The Hutt's palace, there waiting to kill Luke Skywalker upon his arrival in ROTJ - under Emperor Palpatine's orders because Prince Xizor had failed.

But there are plenty of examples, also of girls dressed up for conventions, as the early 40's Mara Skywalker in the green outfit. I posted some pictures here.